The Way We Get By: Historical Perspectives: Coming Home From War

This resource group utilizes the film and website resources for The Way We Get By, which tells the story of a group of volunteers who have greeted more than 900,000 troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. Classrooms can use the resources to conduct an investigation that compares and contrasts the homecoming experiences of soldiers who served in World War II, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the first clip associated with The Way We Get By lesson plan, a troop greeter goes to the airport in Bangor, Maine, to welcome home a flight of returning soldiers. Students should research, compare and contrast the homecoming experiences of soldiers in the video with troops who fought in World War II and the Vietnam War.

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In the second clip associated with The Way We Get By lesson plan, soldiers who are returning home talk about their responses to the troop greeters who welcome them at the airport. Students should compare the homecoming for these veterans to the homecomings of veterans from World War II and the Vietnam War.

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This audio slideshow includes images of returning soldiers at Bangor, Maine (courtesy of mainetroopgreeters.com), as well as some stills from The Way We Get By and screening events for the film. The audio is from the film's soundtrack by Zack Martin.

Permitted Use:

Stream Only

Accessibility:

Transcript:

In the first clip associated with The Way We Get By lesson plan, a troop greeter goes to the airport in Bangor, Maine, to welcome home a flight of returning soldiers. Students should research, compare and contrast the homecoming experiences of soldiers in the video with troops who fought in World War II and the Vietnam War.